JP3535192B2 - Hydro assist device for marine propulsion unit - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hydro-assist and shock absorber device disposed between a hull and a propulsion device slidably mounted on the hull. More specifically, the present invention relates to an improvement in the structure of a switching valve that switches a hydraulic passage between a shut-off state and a communicating state. 2. Description of the Related Art In small and medium-sized ships, the tilt operation force when the propulsion unit is tilted up and down is reduced, and the impact force when the propulsion unit collides with driftwood or the like during sailing is absorbed. In many cases, the hydro-assist device is disposed between the hull and the propulsion device. [0003] As an example of such a hydro assist device, there is a conventional one shown in Figs. The hydro assist device 50 connects an upper end 51a of a cylinder 51 to a propulsion device, connects a protrusion 53a of a rod 53 of a piston 52 inserted into the cylinder 51 to a hull, and 54 and lower chamber 55
Through a hydraulic passage 56, and
And a switching valve 57 is provided.
Hydraulic oil A is sealed in the two chambers 54 and 55, and high-pressure gas B is sealed in the upper part of the upper chamber 56. This gas pressure reduces the operating force when tilting up. The piston 52 is provided with a return valve 52a and an absorber valve 52b. The switching valve 57 is connected to the hydraulic passage 5
At the upper end of 6, a communication passage 56a facing the upper chamber 54 is formed so as to communicate therewith, a ball 58 is disposed in a communication portion of both passages, and the ball 58 is biased toward the closing side by a spring 59. . A pin 60 is inserted into the communication passage 56 a of the switching valve 57 so as to be able to advance and retreat in a direction perpendicular to the direction, and the tip surface of the pin 60 is in contact with the ball 58.
The pin 60 pushes the ball 58 in the opposite biasing direction by rotating the cam member 61, thereby opening the hydraulic passage 56 (see FIGS. 9 and 10). By the way, the switching valve 57 is provided in
As is clear from FIG. 1, when a load acts in the direction in which the piston rod 53 extends, the ball 58 blocks the passage. Therefore, although it functions as a lock mechanism at the time of reverse running, it does not have a thrust holding function at the time of contraction, that is, at the time of forward movement. Therefore, conventionally, in order to secure the thrust holding function to some extent, a spring 59 for urging the ball 58 in the closing direction has been conventionally used.
In some cases, the spring force is set to be large, and the closed state is maintained up to a certain region by the spring force. However, as a lock mechanism at the time of the forward movement, conventionally, a tilt pin for receiving a forward thrust is inserted into a clamp bracket to restrict the contraction of the piston rod.
Generally, a structure in which the trim position of the propulsion device is set by this is set. However, in the above-described conventional hydro-assist device 50, when the switching valve 57 is opened, the ball 58 is pressed against the urging force of the spring 59 and the pressure of the hydraulic oil A by the pin 60. , The switching operation force is necessarily increased, especially when the spring force is set large as described above, and the switching operability is deteriorated. Further, in the switching valve 57 of the above-mentioned conventional device, since the pins 60 are present in the passage, the passage area is reduced accordingly. For this reason, during the tilt assist operation, as the speed of the tilt operation increases, the flow path pressure loss increases, and as a result, the resistance at the time of tilt-up increases, and there is a problem that the operability also deteriorates from this point. Further, in the lock mechanism for inserting the conventional tilt pin, when changing the trim position of the propulsion device,
It is necessary to temporarily stop the boat and change the tilt pin, and there is a problem that it is not possible to cope with changes in running conditions and environmental conditions. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and it is possible to reduce the switching operation force and the operation force at the time of tilt-up, and to easily change the trim position during sailing. It is intended to provide an assist device. According to the present invention, a piston is slid in an axial direction in a cylinder connected to one of a hull and a propulsion device slidably mounted on the hull. The cylinder is freely inserted to define the inside of the cylinder as first and second hydraulic chambers, and the piston rod is connected to the other of the hull and the propulsion device to communicate the first and second hydraulic chambers. A hydraulic assist device for a marine propulsion device that forms a hydraulic passage and has a switching valve disposed in the hydraulic passage, wherein the switching valve communicates with the hydraulic passage,
Flowing from the first hydraulic chamber to the second hydraulic chamber through the hydraulic passage;
And between a blocking position for blocking the second oil pressure chamber both flow to the first hydraulic chamber, and the valve body to move from the cylinder to the pressure action direction substantially perpendicular to said switching valve,
And a ball supported by the valve body.
When the valve body is moved to the shut-off position,
Valve coincides with the hydraulic passage and closes the hydraulic passage.
When the main body is moved to the communication position, the ball
It is characterized in that the hydraulic passage is disconnected and communicated. According to the hydro-assist device for a marine propulsion device according to the present invention, the switching valve is moved between the communication position and the sealing position in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the hydraulic pressure acting on the switching valve. With such a configuration, the switching operation is hardly affected by the spring force of the spring or the hydraulic pressure of the working oil. Therefore, the switching operation force can be greatly reduced as compared with the above-described conventional structure which operates against the spring force and the hydraulic pressure, and the switching operability can be improved accordingly. Further, since there is no switching pin or the like in the hydraulic passage, the passage area of the switching valve portion of the hydraulic passage can be increased, and pressure loss due to flow passage resistance can be avoided. As a result, the resistance at the time of tilt-up can be reduced and the tilt operation force can be reduced, and the operability can be improved from this point as well. Further, according to the present invention, the switching valve is
Since the hydraulic passage is shut off in both flow directions, the propulsion device can be locked at a desired trim angle during both reverse cruising and forward traveling, eliminating the need for the conventional operation of pulling out the tilt pin. For this reason,
The trim angle can be changed according to the environment, and the maneuverability can be improved. An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 7 are views for explaining a hydro-assist device for a marine propulsion device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a sectional front view, FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part, and FIG. 4 and 5 are cross-sectional side views showing the state of the switching valve, FIG. 6 is a side view showing an outboard motor on which the apparatus of the embodiment is mounted, and FIG. 7 is a hydraulic circuit diagram of the apparatus of the embodiment. is there. In each of the drawings, reference numeral 1 denotes a hull on which the apparatus of the present embodiment is mounted, and an outboard motor (propulsion device) 2 is swingably disposed at a stern 1a of the hull 1. In this outboard motor 2, an upper case 4b is connected to an upper part of a lower case 4a in which the screw 3 is disposed, an engine 5 is mounted on the upper case 4b, and the screw 3 is driven to rotate by the engine 5. It is configured as follows. A clamp bracket 6 is attached and fixed to the stern 1a. An upper edge 7a of a swivel arm 7 is pivotally supported on the bracket 6 via a tilt shaft 8. The outboard motor 2 is mounted and fixed to the swivel arm 7 so that the outboard motor 2 can swing up and down with respect to the hull 1. The hydro-assist device 10 of this embodiment is disposed between the clamp bracket 6 and the swivel arm 7. In this hydro device 10, a piston 14 is inserted and slidably inserted in an axial direction into a cylinder 11 whose upper end is closed, and one end 12a of a piston rod 12 is fixedly connected to the piston 14; Part 12b
With the lid member 13 inserted in the lower end opening of the cylinder 11
And projecting outward. The upper end 11a of the cylinder 11 is connected to the swivel arm 7 at the other end 1 of the piston rod 12.
2b are rotatably connected to the clamp bracket 6, respectively, so that the outboard motor 2 swings as the piston rod 12 expands and contracts. In the cylinder 11, the piston 14
Thus, a first hydraulic chamber 15 and a second hydraulic chamber 16 are defined. The two hydraulic chambers 15, 16 are filled with hydraulic oil A ', A, and a high-pressure gas B is filled above the hydraulic oil A' in the first hydraulic chamber 15. The first and second pistons 14 are attached to the piston 14.
One or a plurality of communication holes 17a and 17b communicating with the hydraulic chambers 15 and 16 are formed, respectively.
A return valve 18 and an absorber valve 19 are provided at 7a and 17b, respectively. A bulging portion 11b is provided on the outer wall of the cylinder 11.
Are formed integrally along the cylinder axis, and a hydraulic passage 20 is formed in the bulging portion 11b. The lower end of the passage 20 opens at the lower end of the cylinder 11 and communicates with the second hydraulic chamber 16. The upper end of the passage 20 opens slightly below a step 22 (described later) in the cylinder 11. The first hydraulic chamber 15 communicates with the first hydraulic chamber 15. A free piston 21 is inserted above the piston 14 in the cylinder 11 so as to be slidable in the axial direction, and the free piston 21 can be separated from the piston 14. The above-mentioned free piston 21
An oil introduction part 21a whose outer diameter is set slightly smaller than that of the lower part is formed in the upper part of the upper part. Further, an oil communication groove 21b is recessed in the upper surface of the head of the free piston 21, and the groove 21b communicates the oil introduction portion 21a with the first hydraulic chamber 15. In the first hydraulic chamber 15 of the cylinder 11, a stopper 22 having a smaller diameter than the free piston 21 is provided.
The stopper portion 22 is located slightly above the opening 20 a facing the inside of the first hydraulic chamber 15 of the hydraulic passage 20. The stopper portion 22 regulates the rising end position of the free piston 21 to a position where the oil introduction portion 21a does not rise above the opening 20a. At the upper end of the hydraulic passage 20, a switching valve 25 which is a feature of this embodiment is provided. The switching valve 25 has a structure in which one end of an operation rod 27 is fixed to the axis of a disk-shaped valve body 26 rotatably disposed in a valve hole 11c recessed in a direction perpendicular to the cylinder axis. is there. A valve seat 28 is provided outside the valve body 26, and the valve seat 28 is non-rotatably fixed by a lid member 29 fixed to the cylinder 11. Reference numeral 20b denotes a valve seat on the side of the opening 20a, which has a communication hole coaxial with the opening 20a. The valve seat 28 has a communication hole 28.
a is formed so as to be coaxial with the opening 20 a of the passage 20, and the valve seat 28 and the lid 2
9, an annular communication passage 29a for communicating the hydraulic passage 20 with the communication hole 28a is formed. The opening 2 of the valve body 26
0a, a long hole 26a is provided with an operation rod 27.
Are formed in an arc shape centered on the axis. The elongated hole 26a has an elliptical large-diameter portion 26b and an elliptical small-diameter portion 26c following the elliptical large-diameter portion 26b.
Either 6b or the small diameter portion 26c matches the opening 20a and the communication hole 28a. In the large diameter portion 26b of the long hole 26a, two balls 31, 31 are arranged.
A spring 32 for urging the two outwardly between the first and the 31st.
Are arranged. The large diameter portion 26b is connected to the opening 20.
a and the communication holes 28a, the balls 31, 31 are respectively opened 20a and the communication holes 28a of the valve seat 28.
Are closed in both directions, and the small diameter portion 26c is
a, the hydraulic passage 20 communicates with the communication hole 28a. As shown in FIG. 6, an arm 33 is fixedly connected to the operation rod 27, and one end of a cable 34 is connected to the arm 33. The other end of the cable 34 is connected to an operation lever 35 provided on the outer wall of the engine 5 of the outboard motor 2.
Is opened and closed. The cable 34 is fixed to the cylinder 11 by a clamp member 36 in the middle. This is to prevent the cable 34 from interfering with other components during the tilt up / down operation, thereby improving the durability of the cable 34. Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described. In the hydro-assist device 10 of the present embodiment, the switching valve 25 is operated by operating the operation lever 35 during cruising.
The large diameter portion 26b of the long hole 26a is
a, and is turned to a blocking position (the position shown in FIG. 3) corresponding to the communication hole 28a. As a result, both the flow of oil from the first hydraulic chamber 15 to the second hydraulic chamber 16 and the flow in the opposite direction are blocked, and the expansion and contraction of the piston rod 12 is locked. As a result, the outboard motor 2 is held at the predetermined trim position during both forward movement and reverse movement. Here, the operating direction of the hydraulic pressure of the operating oil on the switching valve 25 coincides with the axial direction of the operating rod 27, whereas the moving direction of the switching valve 25 is at right angles to the operating rod 27. . Therefore, the switching valve 25 of the present embodiment moves in the direction perpendicular to the direction of the hydraulic pressure. If the outboard motor 2 collides with a driftwood or the like during sailing, the piston rod 12 is pulled in the direction of extension by the impact force, and the hydraulic pressure in the second hydraulic chamber 16 rises. The absorber valve 19 opens, the piston rod 12 extends, and the piston 14 and the free piston 2
Hydraulic oil flows in between them. This piston rod 12
The impact force is absorbed with the elongation. After the collision, the piston rod 12 is urged to the contraction side by the propulsion force, so that the free piston 21 and the piston 14
Is returned to the second hydraulic chamber 16 via the return valve 18, and the outboard motor 2 returns to the original trim position. When the trim angle of the outboard motor 2 is adjusted more vertically during the cruising, the switching valve 2
When the piston 5 is rotated to the communication position, the piston rod 12 is urged to the contraction side by the propulsive force, and the hydraulic oil in the first hydraulic chamber 15 moves into the second hydraulic chamber 16 via the hydraulic passage 20, As a result, the piston rod 12 contracts, and the outboard motor 2
Moves more vertically. When the desired trim angle is reached, the switching valve 25 is turned to the shut-off position. On the other hand, when the outboard motor 2 is tilted up, the switching valve 25 is rotated to a communication position (a position shown in FIG. 4) where the small diameter portion 26c of the long hole 26a coincides with the opening 20a. Then, the hydraulic passage 20 communicates and the high-pressure gas B
Is transmitted into the second hydraulic chamber 16. At this time, since the piston pressure receiving area is large on the first hydraulic chamber 15 side, the piston 1
4 exerts a downward force, whereby the piston rod 12 is extended, and as a result, the tilt operation force when moving the outboard motor 2 above the water surface is reduced. As described above, according to the present embodiment, the switching operation is performed by rotating the switching valve 25 in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the hydraulic pressure of the operating oil, so that the switching valve 25 operates against the hydraulic pressure. The operating force can be greatly reduced as compared with the case of performing the operation. In the switching valve 25 of the present embodiment, the spring force of the spring 32 for urging the ball 31 is
Can be positioned at both ends of the elongated hole 26. In this regard, the switching operation force can be reduced, and the operation feeling can be improved. In the switching valve 25 of this embodiment, the long hole 26a has a large-diameter portion 26b and a small-diameter portion 26c. The large-diameter portion 26b coincides with the opening 20a when shut off, and the small-diameter portion 26c is opened when communicating. Since there is no ball in the passage at the time of communication, there is no ball in the passage.Therefore, a sufficient passage area can be obtained, the flow passage loss is reduced, and the operating speed especially at the time of tilt-up is improved. Operation force can be reduced. In this embodiment, the switching valve 2
5, the two balls 31 are arranged so that the opening 20 a on the first hydraulic chamber 15 side and the communication hole 28 a on the second hydraulic chamber 16 can be opened and closed, so that the second hydraulic Since both the flow in the direction of the chamber 16 and the flow in the opposite direction can be shut off, both forward and reverse thrust holding is possible, and thrust holding at a desired trim angle is possible. The trim angle can be adjusted according to the running conditions and environment, which improves maneuverability. The change of the trim angle during sailing can be operated by an operation lever 35 arranged near the operator.
From this point, operability can be improved. Further, in the present embodiment, the piston 1
4 is provided with an absorber valve 19 and a return valve 18 and a free piston 21 is disposed above the piston 14, so that if a collision occurs with a driftwood or the like during the cruising, the outboard motor 2 will jump upward and cause an impact. And after the shock is absorbed, the trim angle can be automatically returned to the original trim angle. In the above embodiment, the switching valve 25
In the above, two balls 31 are provided as a structure for realizing the two-way shutoff function, but the switching valve of the present invention arranges one ball in the middle of the hydraulic passage, thereby using the two-way shutoff function. This may be realized, or another blocking mechanism may be used. Further, in the above-described embodiment, a rotary structure is adopted as a structure for moving the switching valve 25 in a direction perpendicular to the direction of hydraulic pressure, but a slide structure may be used. As described above, according to the hydro-assist device for a marine propulsion device according to the present invention, the switching valve is set between the communication position and the shut-off position in a direction substantially perpendicular to the hydraulic action direction. Since it is configured to be moved, the switching operation force can be greatly reduced as compared with the conventional structure in which the operation is performed against the spring force of the spring and the oil pressure of the working oil, and there is an effect that the operability can be improved accordingly. Further, since there is no switching pin or the like in the hydraulic passage and the passage area of the switching portion of the hydraulic passage can be increased, the resistance at the time of tilt-up can be reduced to reduce the tilt operating force. The operability can be improved from this point. Further, in the present invention, the hydraulic passage is shut off in both flow directions by the switching valve, so that the propulsion device can be locked at a desired trim angle both during reverse cruising and forward cruising. The trim angle can be controlled in accordance with the medium conditions and environment, which has the effect of improving maneuverability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a sectional front view of an outboard motor hydro-assist device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of the apparatus of the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side view of the apparatus of the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a hydraulic passage of a switching valve of the embodiment device is shut off. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a communication state of a switching valve of the apparatus of the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a side view showing an outboard motor in which the apparatus of the embodiment is provided. FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of the device of the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a view showing a conventional hydro assist device. FIG. 9 is a sectional plan view showing a conventional switching valve. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a shut-off state and a communication state of a conventional switching valve. FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram of a conventional hydro assist device. [Description of Signs] 1 Hull 2 Outboard motor (propulsion device) 10 Hydro assist device 11 Cylinder 12 Piston rod 14 Piston 15 First hydraulic chamber 16 Second hydraulic chamber 20 Hydraulic passage 25 Switching valve

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-2-70596 (JP, A) JP-A-4-73635 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B63H 20/08 F16F 9/00

Claims (1)

(57) [Claim 1] A piston is slidable in an axial direction in a cylinder connected to one of a hull and a propulsion device swingably disposed on the hull. And insert the first
A second hydraulic chamber is defined, the rod of the piston is connected to the other of the hull and the propulsion device, and a hydraulic passage communicating the first and second hydraulic chambers is formed. In the hydro-assist device for a marine propulsion device provided with a valve, the switching valve is connected to a communication position for communicating with the hydraulic passage, and the hydraulic passage is connected to the first hydraulic chamber from the first hydraulic chamber to the second hydraulic chamber. between and from the second hydraulic chamber of the shut-off position to shut off both the flow to the first hydraulic chamber, the pressure acting direction substantially perpendicular way from the cylinder to said switching valve
A valve body that moves in the
And shut off the valve body.
When the ball is moved to the position
Close the hydraulic passage and move the valve body to the communicating position.
Then, the ball comes off the hydraulic passage and communicates with the hydraulic passage.
A hydro-assist device for a marine propulsion device.